| American Juniors | |
|---|---|
| Format | Interactive talent show Reality show |
| Created by | Simon Fuller |
| Directed by | Bruce Gowers |
| Presented by | Ryan Seacrest (episodes 1-5, 7-17) Gladys Knight (episode 6) |
| Judges | Deborah Gibson Gladys Knight (episodes 1-5, 9-17)< Justin Guarini (episodes 1-4, 6) Nick Carter (episode 6) Lamont Dozier (episodes 7 and 8) Mary Wilson (episodes 7 and 8) Brian McKnight (episodes 9 and 10) Jordan Knight (episodes 11 and 12) Monica (episodes 13 and 14) Dionne Warwick (episode 15) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 17 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Nigel Lythgoe Ken Warwick |
| Production company(s) | FremantleMedia North America 19 Television |
| Distributor | FremantleMedia Enterprises |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Fox |
| Original run | June 3, 2003 – August 19, 2003 |
American Juniors is a reality television series that broadcast on the Fox Network as a spin-off of American Idol, created by Simon Fuller and 19 Entertainment, FremantleMedia, directed by Bruce Gowers and produced by Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick. It was very similar to the adult American Idol, much like the British series S Club Search (producing the S Club Juniors) was to British band S Club 7. The only season of American Juniors aired in the summer of 2003. It was taped in Hollywood, California.
| American Juniors | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Genres | Pop |
| Years active | 2003–2005 |
| Labels | 19 |
| Past members | |
| Lucy Hale Chauncey Matthews Taylor Thompson Tori Thompson Danielle White Katelyn Tarver (2003–2004) Jordan McCoy (2003–2004) Chantel Kohl (2003–2004) AJ Melendez (2003) Morgan Burke (2003) Julie Dubela (2003) Quinton Caruthers (2003) Grace Leer (2003) Kara Leiberman (2003) Tyler Foehr (2003) Brennan Hillard (2003) Mercedes Ruiz (2003) Kristinia DeBarge (2003) Lauren Klena (2003) Canyon Grove (2003) Ty Glascoe (2003) Mariah Stanley (2003) |
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Contents |
Two thousand children and teenagers auditioned for the show. From there, a selected group of kids and their parents were flown out to Hollywood to participate in "Hollywood Week." During "Hollywood Week", several cuts took place, eliminating all but 20 of the children and teens who originally auditioned. These kids were shown on TV during 2 top-20 episodes, which each showcased 10 kids. For each top-20 episode, America voted for the 5 kids they wanted to see in the top-10. Once the top-10 was formed, America voted each week for the one contestant they wanted to put into the group. The results were aired the following evening with the next round beginning the following week. Taylor Thompson was the first contestant voted into the group. She was eventually followed by her younger sister, Tori Thompson, Chauncey Matthews, Lucy Hale and Danielle White.
| Contestants | Song (Artist) | Percentage of calls |
|---|---|---|
| Morgan Burke | Why Do Fools Fall in Love (Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers) | Top 5 |
| Kara Lieberman | Hopelessly Devoted to You (Olivia Newton-John) | Eliminated |
| Kristinia DeBarge | Reflection (Christina Aguilera) | Eliminated |
| AJ Melendez | Isn't She Lovely? (Stevie Wonder) | Top 5 |
| Grace Leer | To Sir, with Love (Lulu) | Eliminated |
| Danielle White | Colors of the Wind (Vanessa L. Williams) | Top 5 |
| Chauncey Matthews | A Whole New World (Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle) | Top 5 (Highest votes) |
| Julie Dubela | Rainy Days and Mondays (The Carpenters) | Eliminated |
| Tyler Foehr | Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (The Police) | Eliminated |
| Katelyn Tarver | Ain't No Mountain High Enough (Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell) | Top 5 |
| Contestants | Song (Artist) | Percentage of calls |
|---|---|---|
| Jordan McCoy | Stupid Cupid (Connie Francis) | Top 5 |
| Lucy Hale | Get Here (Brenda Russell) | Top 5 |
| Quinton Caruthers | You Are the Sunshine of My Life (Stevie Wonder) | Eliminated |
| Lauren Klena | L-O-V-E (Nat King Cole) | Eliminated |
| Chantel Kohl | Open Arms (Journey) | Top 5 |
| Brennan Hillard | That Thing You Do (The Wonders) | Eliminated |
| Mercedes Ruiz | Can't Fight the Moonlight (LeAnn Rimes) | Eliminated |
| Taylor Thompson | The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss) (Betty Everett) | Top 5 |
| Canyon Grove | You've Got a Friend (James Taylor) | Eliminated |
| Tori Thompson | Let 'Er Rip (Dixie Chicks) | Top 5 (Highest votes) |
American Juniors became one of the highest rated television shows of the summer season, with approximately 11.9 million viewers on June 3, though the numbers dropped 40% toward the end of July. Nonetheless, the producers were satisfied of the strong teen demographic. A second season was planned for fall 2003, later postponed to the summer after American Idol (season 3), then called off.
The American Juniors made a brief appearance on the December 2003 American Idol Christmas special, An American Idol Christmas. Their debut album American Juniors was released on October 26, 2004 after a year's delay from its original scheduled date.
The American Juniors group disbanded in 2005. The members seem to be pursuing individual efforts and there was little publicity about them as a group. The show website became inactive in April 2005, but the show website shut down shortly after the group disbanded.
In 2011, Tori and Taylor Thompson resurfaced on NBC's The Voice as a singing duet. They were selected and coached by Cee Lo Green.
| Album Information |
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Kids in America
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American Juniors
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| Album Information |
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One Step Closer
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